Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-02-18
PENSION VETO.
resident Cleveland Returns to the House
without His Approval the Dependent
Pension Bill.
He Treats Fxhaustively the Whole Question of
Pensions and Strongly Fortii1es the
Position Taken
Returned Disapproveu,

herewith return without my approval House
Bill No. 10, 45l, entitled IAN act for the relief
OF dependent parents and honorably discharged
soldiers and sailors who are now disabled and
dependent upon their own labor for support"
This is the first general bill that has been sane
toned by congress since the close Of the late
and sailors WHO served in that war upon the
ground of service and present disability alone,
aud in the entire absence of any injuries re-
ceived by casualties or incidents Of such service.
While by almost constant legislation since the
close OF the war there has been com pensation
awarded for every possible injury received as a
result Of military service in the Union army.
and while n great number of laws passed
for that purpose have been admins
tered with great Eberality, and have been
supplemented by numerous private acts to reach
special cases, there has not, until now, been an
Rvowcd departure from the principle thus far
adhered TO respecting Union soldiers, that the
bounty Of the government in the way Of PEN
sions is generously bestowed when granted to
those who in the military service and the line
OF military duty, have to greater or less ex-
tent, been disabled But it is mistake to sup
pose that service pensions such as are permitted
by the second section OF the bill under con-
BideratiOn are new to our legislation. In 1918
thirty five years after the close OF the Revolu-
tionary war. there were granted to soldiers en-
gagged In thai struggle, conditional upon service
until the end Of the war. or for term not
less than nine months. and requiring every ben
eticiary under the act to be one who is. or there
after by reason Of his reduced Giro unlstances in
life shall be- in need of assistance from his coun-
try for suppor1.' Another law of like character
was passed in 1923 requiring service until the
c'ose of the revolutionary war: and still another
passed in 1894, providing for those persons not
lucluded In the previous statute, but who served
two years at some time during the war, and CIV
Ing Preparedness sum to those who had served
not less than six months. service pension
law was passed for the benefit Of
THE SOLDIERS OF 1912
In the year 1S7l-tltty six years after the close
OF that war-which required only sixty days
service: and another was passed il 1S7S-sixty-
three years after the war--requring only four
teen days service The service pension bill passed
after the close of the Mexican war, for the bene-
1T OF the soldiers Of that war, requires either
some degree Of disability or dependency, or that
the claimant under its provisions should be
sixty-t"o years OF age; and In either case that
he should have served sixty days or been
hctually ENGAGED In battle It will be seen
thst the bill Of 1918 and the Mexican pension
bull being thus passed nearer the close OF
tho wars IN which its benetciarles
were engaged than the others, one thirty-fiv
years and the other thirty nine years after the
termination Of such wars, embraced persons
who were advanced in age, assumed tobe COM
para5ively few in number, and whose circun-
stances, dependence and disabilities were
clearly defined and could be quite easily fixed.
The other laws referred to appear to have been
passed at time remote from the military
service Of the persons which they embraced that
their extreme age alone was deemed to
aud need. The number Of enlistments
made during the revolutionary war is
stated TO have been 3o9,79l, and in the war Of
1S12, SIG, 622; but it is estimated that, on &C.
count OF repeated re-enlistmenIs, the number OF
individuals engaged i'll those wars did not ex-
coed one-half OF the number represented by
these figures. In the war with Mexico the num-
Der OF enlistments Is reported to be ll2, $50,
which represents a greater proportion of indi-
vtduals engaged than the reported enlstnents
SONS granted under all the laws to soldiers Of
the Revolution is given at 62,U69: to soldiers Of
the war OF 1912 and their widows, 50, ITS; and
ows up to June 80, 1885, 1918. This humber
of pensions was granted to the soldiers OF war
Involving much hardship, for disabilities in
CURED as result ct such service' andit was not
until within the last month that the few re-
manning survivors were awarded q service PEN
sion.
THE WAR OF THE REBE1ILoN
terminate ed nearly twenty-five years ago. The
number Of men furnished for its prosecution
was said to be 2.752, 4O9 No corresponding
number of statutes has ever been passed to
cover every kind Of injury or disability incurred
statutes 61,576 pensions have been granted
from the year 1851 to June 80, 1856, and more
than 1900 pensioners have been added to the
rolls by private acts passed TO meet cases. many
OF them Of questionable rnerit--wtlich the gen
erai laws did not cover: On july |, 1856 365,-
1853 pensioners of all Glasses were upon the pen
sion rolls of whom 3o5,6o5 were survivors OF
the war Of the Rebellion and their widows and
dependents Fog the year ending June 30
1857, s75, 100000 have been appropriated fol
this payment of PENSIONS and the amount ex-
1886, is 3s0s, 624, 31Il5. While annually pay
tlrsady sranted, it IS now proposed ,1
by tho bill under con sderation to award serv-
Ice pension to the soldiers Of ali wars In which
she United States has been engaged, including
u course, the war of the Rebellion. and to pay
those entitled to the benefits OF the act the sun
OF Sl2 per month. So far as it relates to the
soldiers Of the late civil war, the bounty ii
affords them is given thirteen years earlier than
1t has been furnished to the soldiers Of any
Dbher war, and before q large majority Of its
beneficlaries have advanced in age beyond the
strength and vigor OF the prime Of life. It ex-
acts only a military or naval service of three
months, without anv requirement of actua
| enlargement with an eEemy in battle, and with
out subsection to any OF the actual dangers OF
war. The pension 1t awards is allowed to en-
jury, disability. loss or damage Of any kind. in.
CURED in in any degree referable to their mil
ttary service, including those who
NEWER REACHED TIE FRONT AT ALL
| End those discharged from rendezvous at the
close Of tho war; If DISCHARGED three months
after enlistment. Under the last call OF the
president for troops, in December 1864, ll,3OS
men were furnished who were thus dischareed
The section allowing this pension does, how
ever, require, b side service OF three months
| and an honorable discharge, that those seeking
the benefit OF the act shalt be such as ARE now
Or may hereafter be suffering from mental o1
vicious habits or gross carelessness, which inca
FACILITATES them for the perfo nance OF labor in
such degree as to render them unable to earn
! support aud who are dependent upon Their
daily labor for support" It provides further
| that such persons shall, upon making proof OF
the fact be placed on the list Of invalid pen
receive for such total inability to secure their
subsistence by daily labor S12 per month
aud such pension shall commence from
the date Of the filing Of the application in the
office at he an ~ hon
| existed and continued during the existence OF
! the same in the degree herein provided: that
persons who are not receiving their pensions un-
der existing laws, or whose claims are pending
| in the pension office, NAV bv application to the
commissioner OF pensions, in such form as he
mey prescribe. be beneflciaries under this act.
| it Is Of the utmost Importance that statutes
! which. like pension laws, should be literally ad.
mintstered as measures OF benevolence in behalf
| Of worthy benefcaries. should admit of no un-
certainty as to their general objects and conse.
quences. Upon a careful consideration Of thu
language Of the section Of the bill above given II
seems to me to be uncertain and liable to such
| such unjust and mischievous application as tt
alone furnish sufficient ground for disapprov
the proposed LEGISLATION. Persons seeking to OBJ.
tain the pension provided by this section must
| or physical disability; "a such disability must
| not be the result Of their own vicious habits o.
gross csselessness: 49, such disability mast be
such as dncapacitates them for the performance
T of labor in such degsee as to render thcn
| UEABIE TO EARN "A SUPPORT;
fourth they must be dependent upon itheil
daily labor for support: fifth, upon proof Of
these conditions they shall be placed on the
| lists of Invalid pensioners Of the United States
| and be entitled to receive for such total ina.
| bility to procure their subsistence by daily
| labor $40 per month It is not probable that
| the words laSt quoted. such total inability te
procure their subsistence by daily labor" n eli
qualify the conditions prescribed ia the prs.
ced;ng languase of the section. TIE total inar
bility spoken 16 must be SUCH Inability: thai
| ts, the Inability already described and consti-
tuted by the c.0Gitions already detailed in the
previous parts OF the section. It,thE1s become,
important to consider the meaning and the
scope of these lasE mentioned conditions. The
mental and physical disability Spoken OF has q
.diStinct meaning in the practice of the pension
bureau. and includes every impairment e bodily